Kitchen utility stool



Feb. 10, 1953 s. DE RENNAUX 2,628,146

KITCHEN UTILITY STOOL Filed Aug. 28, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet l v INVENTOR.

Feb. 10, 1953 Filed Aug. 28, 1950 s. L. DE RENNAUX 2,628,146

KITCHEN UTILITY STOOL 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 /9 Z INVENTOR.

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Feb. 10, 1953 s. DE RENNAUX KITCHEN UTILITY STOOL 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Aug. 28, 1950 57/74/1 E/VL. flf/ftw/mux av I INVENTOR.

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Feb. 10, 1953 s. DE RENNAUX KITCHEN UTILITY STOOL Filed Aug. 28, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patentecl Feb. 10, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,628,146 KITCHEN UTILITY s'roon Stanley L. De'Rennaux; Clayton, Mo.

Application Augusms, 1950;.Seria1 ND; 181,717 'zi'oianns. (01. $12-$35) My invention relates to new and novel kitchen utility stools.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a kitchen stool having: a compartment wherein various things may be kept concealed from view, and which compartment may be opened from the top and/or the back thereof for convenient access to the things stored within the compartment.

An object of the invention is to provide the kitchen stool with a hinged seat member and providing the underside of the seat member with a storage space movable with the seat-member.

A further object of the invention is to provide the kitchen stool with a fixed front wall and a storage space adjacent the lower portion thereof and to the rear thereof.

A further object of the invention is to provide the hinged back wall of the stool with a shelf movable therewith for supportingawaste basket, or the like.

A further object of the invention is to provide the hinged back wall of the kitchen stool with means for supporting a dust-pan, and further, with means for supporting various types of kitchen equipment.

A further object of the invention is to provide the kitchen stool with a hinged foot rest.

A still further object of the invention is to provide the legs of the stool with casters so that the stool may be rolled from place to place.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course ofthe following description.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, and in which like characters of reference are employed to designate like parts throughout the same:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the. stool embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the. tool with the hinged seat member moved. to a raised position.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the stool showing the hinged back wall thereof moved to an inclined open position.

Fig. 4 is a detail of the upper front side of' the hinged back wall of the stool housing.

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the stool.

In the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration, is shown a preferred. embodiment of my invention which consists of a housing to provide a chamber having upper and lower compartments, and which chamber has an open top and an open back, which open top may be closed by means of a hinged seat structure, and which open back may be closed by means of a hinged back wall.

The utility stool, or chair'comprlses two spaced apart-inverted U-shaped. tubular members arranged. inparallel relation. The U-shaped members each includea front leg portion ID, a rear leg portion l l.,. which are connected at their upper ends by-the intermediate portion [2 which serves as a sill for the seat portion of theseat structure to rest upon when in its closed position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4. The lower ends of each leg portion l0 and H are provided with a. suitable caster lit for engaging the floor easily trundling the stool or chair from place to. place.

The front legs Ill are braced by an upper front horizontally disposed. strap like member l4 and a lower strap like member'lfi. Each front. leg I. and rearleg. ll of. each inverted U--shaped tubular member is also braced by a. horizontally disposed upper-strap like member ['6- and alower strap like? member' I! which: provides a" rigid frame structure for'thea housing.

The reference numeral l8 designates av suit:- able frontwall panelwhich is suitably secured to'thefrontbrace members and [5, as: at. I 9. Itwill be notedv that the front wall panel falls short of reaching the top of the inverted U- shaped tubular members which provide the front and rear legs. and the upper sill members.

The referencenumerals 20 and 21 designate like side wall panels which are suitably secured to-the: upper and lower'strap like brace members I 6 and I"I, as atZZ.

From the foregoing structure, it will be apparent-theta housing structure has-been provided whereimthe housing chamber open at -the' top thereof and tothe back thereof so that access may be had to' thechamber from-either the top, or the -back' thereof; r

. The seat structure for closing the open top of thehousingchamber includesa pair of spaced aparttubular seat supporting members which are reversely bent so as to' provide front arm portions 23', the rear arm portions 24 and the intermediate arm portions- 25'. These tubular members are so spaced apartthat the front arm portions 2'3 and intermediate armportions 25'will lie between and closely adjacent the upper curvedends of the front legs [0 and the sill portions l2 of the inverted U-shaped tubular members of the housing frame structure. -The free ends of thefront arm portions 23 of the seat supporting members are hingedly connected to a cross-rod 2'1 fixedly supported at its ends to the front legs l0, and the downwardly curved front arm portions 23of'the seat supporting members are connected' by a curved front wall panel section: 2'8Jwhichis secured to the arms 23, as at 29 and completes the frontwallof the housing.

A suitable seat, designated as 30, is suitably secured. as at 3|, to the. intermediate armportions 25: of theseatz'sllpporting membersand the. side edge...portions.. of the seat project outwardly beyond the arm portions 25 so as to rest on the sill members [2 when the seat is in its closed position to close the open top of the housing chamber.

A suitable back rest designated 32 is suitably secured to the rear arm portions 24 of the seat supporting members, as at 33.

The back wall of the stool, or chair housing includes a pair of vertically disposed, spaced apart, parallel arranged tubular members 34 having their lower ends curved inwardly to provide arms 35 which have their free end portions hingedly connected to a cross-rod 36 fixedly supported at its ends to the rear end portions of the lower side brace members I1. As shown in Figs. 2 and 4, the back wall also includes a back wall panel 3! which is secured to th inner sides of the tubular members 34, as at 38. The upper end portion of the back wall panel 31 is curved inwardly and terminates in an upright flange, or lip 39 having its corners cut away, as at 43 to allow the intermediate arm portions 25 of the seat supporting members to move to their closed positions. The upper curved end portion of the back wall panel 31 rests against a cross-rod 4| fixedly supported at its ends to rear curved portions of the inverted U-shaped tubular members between the rear legs I I and the sill portions I2, such rod being clearly shown in Fig. 3.

A suitable strap member 42 is secured to the inner face of the back wall panel 31 and has its ends bent inwardly to provide ears 43. Flexible members 44 are connected at one end to the ears 43 and their opposite ends are connected to the rear end portions of the upper side leg brace members IE to limit opening movement of the back wall of the housing, which back wall, when moved to its open position, provides easy access to the housing chamber through the open back side of the housing. A suitable handheld 45 is secured to the upper end portion of the back wall panel 31 to hand grasp for opening and closing the hinged back wall of the housing.

The lower end of the back wall panel 31 terminates in a shelf 46 having its side and front edges upturned, as at 4! and which is secured to the tubular arms 35. This shelf is disposed at an approximately right angle to the back wall panel 31 and serves as a tiltable bottom wall for the housing which is movable as a unit with movement of the back wall structure. serves as a support for a waste basket, or receptacle designated as 48. The shelf is provided with a curved upright wall member 49 for the side wall of the Waste receptacle to rest on when the shelf is tilted by opening movement of the back wall of the housing. The upturned edges 41 of the shelf and the wall member 49 prevents displacement of the waste receptacle upon the shelf, yet allows the receptacle to be easily removed from the shelf and replaced thereon.

The inner face of the back wall panel 3! is provided adjacent the member 42 with a hanger member 59 having hooks at the ends thereof so that a whiskbroom, hand mop, or the like may hang from the hooks 5|.

The inner face of the back wall panel 31 is further provided with one, or more U-shaped members 52 at the lower end portion thereof for supporting a dust pan, or the like.

As shown in Fig. 2, an elongated U-shaped strap member 53 is secured at its ends, as at 54, to the intermediate arm portions of the tubular seat supporting members and associated The shelf therewith is a U-shaped panlike member 55, which is secured to the strap member 53, as as 56. The front edge of the panlike member 55 engages the curved panel member 28. This arrangement provides a compartment 51 between the U-shaped panlike member 55, the bottom of the seat 30, and the curved panel member 28, which may be used as a storage compartment, or space to receive brushes, dusting cloths and the like, which are readily accessible when the seat structure has been raised to open position, as shown in Fig. 3. To limit opening movement of the seat structure, flexible means 58 are connected at one end to the ends of thestrap member 53 and at their opposite ends to the cross rod 4|.

A further storage compartment designated 59 is provided within the housing chamber to the rear of the lower end of the front wall panel l8. This compartment 59 is formed by means of a bottom wall member 60 and upright wall membars 62 associated with the front wall panel I 8. This storage compartment 59 is stationary and boxes of soap powder and similar articles may be placed therein to be easily removed when either the seat structure is raised, or the back wall of the housing moved to an open inclined position. One of the upright wall members 62 is braced by means of a cross-piece 63 to which it is secured and which rests upon the lower side leg bracing members ll. The bottom wall 60 of the storage compartment 59 may be bent downwardly, as at 64, and clamped between the front wall panel l8 and the lower front leg brace member l5.

In order that one may have a place to rest his or her feet when sitting on the stool, I provide the same with a suitable foot rest including a pair of end members 65 connected by means of a plurality of tie members 55. The end members 65 are hingedly connected, as at 51, to a supporting member 68 which is connected at its ends to the front legs l0 adjacent the lower ends thereof, as will be apparent from Fig. 1. The reference numeral 69 designates flexible means, such as a pair of chains or their equivalent which are connected at one end to the forward ends of the end members 65. The opposite ends of the chains are provided with hooks T0 to engage in notches ll in a cross-member 12 which is arranged above the supporting member 68 and connected at its ends to the front legs I0. By disconnecting the hooks F0 from the cross-piece T2, the foot rest member may be dropped to assume a vertical position in front of the front housing panel where it will be out of the way.

A suitable hand hold 12 may be secured to the back of the back rest 32, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, to facilitate raising and lowering the hingedly supported seat structure.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that various articles may be stored within the stool housing and readily removed therefrom and replaced through either the open top of the housing by raising the seat structure, or the open back of the housing by swinging the hingedly supported back wall structure to an open position.

The many advantages of the herein described invention will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art to which it appertains.

Itaistobe understood that the form of my invention, herein shown and described, is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of my invention, or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a kitchen utility stool structure, a housing including a pair of inverted U-shaped tubular side frame members constituting four legs of the housing, means connecting the side frame members, front and side panels carried by the frame members, a hinge pin carried by the lower rear corners of the housing, a pair of tubular back wall side frame members having inwardly projecting lower ends adapted to serve as supports for a waste receptacle, 2. panel carried by the latter frame members to form a back wall for the housing, a pair of tubular seat supporting members having downwardly curved front ends and upwardly curved rear ends, a hinge pin con- 15 6 2. In a stool structure as defined in claim 1, including a foot rest hingedly connected to the front wall of the housing and means including chains and a cross-piece for holding the foot rest a in operative position.

STANLEY L. DE RENNAUX.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the X0 file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 713,483 McNary Nov. 11, 1902 993,633 Ambrock May 30 ,1911

2,209,859 Taylor July 30, 1940 2,386,929 Brown Oct. 16, 1945 2,526,767 Parker Oct. 24, 1950 

